Lovers in the Cold
by Mecearth
Summary: Sequel to Rivals in the Cold. It's about May's confusion over her feelings for Drew! R&R and enjoy, please! DAML, AshXMisty, oneshot.


Disclaimer: Pokemon? Me? PSH! I do not own anything!

Author's Note: I'm BACK! To all of you readers of Rivals in the Cold, thank you for urging me to come up with a sequel! I really hope you guys enjoy this one as much as you enjoyed the previous story. For AshxMisty lovers, I have quite a bit of it in this story for you to munch on!

So without further ado...

She was confused.

The previous night's events played in her head again and again, not pausing to give her even the slightest break to think about what she had really said to him.

She'd told him that she'd loved him.

May pinched the bridge of her nose and gave a huge grunt of displeasure. She shook her head slowly, letting her chocolate brown wisps of hair cascade down her red-clad shoulders.

Before long, she was arguing with herself in her little head.

_But you enjoyed that kiss!_

Who wouldn't? He is quite dreamy.

_You already sealed your relationship by telling him you loved him!_

It was the spur of the moment kind of thing! He did suddenly kiss me. I was too shocked to think straight!

_Doesn't matter. You still like him. Can't you grow to, well, love him then?_

That's besides the point. I still made a huge mistake.

"I think I'm going to hurl," May finally said aloud at the last comment she'd made in her mind and rested her glove-clad hands on her flat belly as though to emphasise her point.

Ash, whom had been observing her from the rim of his ceramic mug while he sipped on hot chocolate, gave her an incredulous look. He sighed and placed the mug back on the table where it continued to elude steam. He wrought his hands together before he looked up at her again. Good, his movements had bought her attention.

"You've been pretty jumpy, May. What's up?" Ash finally spoke, his voice warm and imperceptibly smooth, like the hot chocolate he'd been drinking.

May shied away from his question as though she thought he was able to see right through her. Had her discomfort been that obvious? She smiled unconvincingly and waved her hand in the air dismissively.

Her right eyebrow arched up. "What are you talking about? I'm probably just jittery and excited about our next trip!"

Ash chuckled and laid back in his chair. He'd matured quite a bit since he first began his quest to be Pokemon Master. He recalled how obnoxious and irritating he must have been back then, how he could have cried when he lost a mere battle. He'd learnt so much from his trips, his friends, his travel companions… One thing he'd learnt from battle was to see the situation from all angles. Right now he was scrutinizing his conversation with May from any possible angle he could come up with.

"Probably being the keyword," Ash finally said, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. He laughed again. "I don't recall having planned our next journey for you to be so excited about."

May stiffened as she reached for her own mug of hot chocolate that had begun to condense water vapor underneath the surface of the glass table. A frown began to etch itself into her pretty face as she bit her bottom lip. She refused to say anything. Word vomit was the last thing she wanted right now.

Ash observed her warily and finally spoke when she hadn't said a word. "Before Max and Brock come over, you might wanna share what's troubling you with me. I'm neutral! Unless, of course, it's some girl problem that I don't know about."

May gave Ash a 'what-to-do?' look and sighed. She considered confessing to Ash her deeds as of the night before and she blushed in response. Ash would probably hurl in distaste. But then again, Ash was probably the best option, maybe even the closest thing to a girl friend. If she confided with Brock, Brock would end up having a nosebleed.

"Okay, Ash. You win. But you probably may not like what I'm going to say…" May trailed off, her mind whirring with visions of herself and Drew, hands entwined in the snow.

She blurted everything that had happened since she'd awoken in the cave, including their first kiss. Ash listened attentively, reacting indifferently to her little scandalous deeds. He managed to give appreciative gestures at certain parts of her story though he was really taken aback by it all. Another rule he'd learnt from his journeys – Not to reveal your true emotions for it may hurt someone. He'd learnt it while still traveling with Misty. _Misty…_

May allowed the deep blush that had settled on her cheeks to fade away before she continued. "But right now, I don't even know if I mean what I'd said just then… I didn't mean to give him false hope!"

"It's not your fault. He rushed it upon you. When hormones kicked in, all you could think about was being with him. Future doesn't matter at that moment. You just wanna revel in it and hope it lasts forever…" Ash replied, trailing off.

May sighed and nodded numbly before she realized what Ash was saying. She jerked upright, a teasing smile on her lips.

"How do you know so much about how I felt, huh?" May crooned, her chin resting on her knuckles.

Then it was Ash's turn to feel heat rush up his neck to his ears, his eyes widening in blatant surprise. May must've known from the tone of his voice and he must've completely gone off guard. He clutched his fists until his knuckles turned white against his slight tan. May's story had conjured up memories of his first kiss with that certain girl, that certain red-head. He couldn't hide that memory form her now, not when she'd shared quite a lot about Drew with him. Ash cleared his throat.

"I have to admit – you're quite good at observing things!" Ash grinned, eluding a feeling of warmth between the two travel companions – and great friends.

His grin had taken May completely off guard. She had expected him to begin stuttering like a little boy… but that was hardly the main reason why she was caught off guard. When he grinned, he looked almost completely at ease, like he was genuinely happy about something. He looked absolutely breathtakingly handsome and May had never quite noticed him that way. She wondered if he only revealed that breathtaking smile when he thought of Misty or when she was around. He must have begun to lose his boyish charm when Misty left the crew. May felt guilt creep through her soul. Perhaps if she didn't join the crew, Misty wouldn't have left…

"May? Earth to May!" Ash waved his gloved hand in front of her face. She sat upright and smiled apologetically.

"Anyway, I hope you and… erm… Misty are still keeping contact," May said, nervously tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Yeah, well, stuff happens. We're both busy in our own ways… Did you know that her collection of water Pokemon has immensely expanded? She was extremely elated!" Ash babbled, genuine happiness sparkling in his eyes. May smiled in acknowledgement. So that was what love seemed like – being happy for the one person.

Just then, the Pokemon Centre door to the lounge where they were at opened. A huge gust of wind blew in specks of snow that landed on annoyed Pokemon and their trainers. A young man stepped inside, his green hair gleaming under the bright centre lights. His eyes scanned the lounge first, lighting up immediately when they landed on May. Drew made his way to May and Ash, a feeling of anticipation gurgling in his stomach. God, she was so beautiful…

"Drew!" May exclaimed, surprised at the extra presence beside her. She was pleased that he'd arrived yet she had not solved her dilemma yet. She cast a questioning glance at Ash and all he did was nod, smile, and lean back in his chair.

"Come, May, I need to show you something," Drew breathed into her ear, leading her by her hands and out into the cold night.

"Oh my God, this is gorgeous! I can't believe I – I'm here right now, I…" May gasped, one hand over her mouth and the other clutching Drew's hand.

They were both seated at the edge of the mountain cliff, the snow having stopped altogether. In the night sky, swirls of glowing colours lighted up, casting an array of green, blue and red on the mountain.

"The Northern Lights, a.k.a Aurora Borealis. I'm glad you like it," Drew smiled, casting a sidelong glance at his beautiful companion.

May tossed him a ridiculed look. "Like it, Drew? I LOVE it… It's gorgeous…" May trailed off, her eyes still staring at the swirls of colour slowly pulsating and gliding across the starry sky.

"Meh, it's the least I can do for you. You have been an awesome rival, a great challenge… And a wonderful friend," he continued.

Drew stared at the excited May, his eyes scanning over every one of her striking features. Her eyes, nose, lips… God, she was, to him, way more beautiful than the northern lights. In fact, the northern lights seemed to cast a soft gleam in her eyes, making her so much more gorgeous than anything.

May sensed him looking at her, She cocked her head to face him and pointed to her cheek. "What? Is there something on my face?"

Drew burst out laughing. He leaned in towards her and cupped her face with his hand. Using his thumb, he brushed her cheek slowly. May shuddered.

"You're so silly May… You're so beautiful. No wonder why I fell for you. I truly am in love with you, May." He said with a low voice, his face inching towards hers.

May felt guilt push its way into her chest. Did she really feel the same way about him? Did she really want to spoil the moment by thinking it over? She stared into his emerald green eyes and melted. Where else could she find such a beautiful boy with such a strong character and had such passion for her? She felt so loved, so desired… She decided that yes, she loved him too.

His lips crashed onto hers, softly pressing on them. He moved his lips in a steady rhythm, beckoning a response from her, whereby she moved along the same rhythm as he did. His hands, at the same time, traveled down and up her back, pulling her closer to him. He suddenly increased the speed, his lips suddenly greedy for more. May whimpered in response, her hands running through his hair. Just then, his tongue began to probe at her lips, beckoning them to open.

They lay like that for a few minutes, kissing passionately. They only paused for air. Suddenly, Drew broke the kiss and stared into her eyes, melting in them. May blushed and panted a bit. He pushed her slowly towards the snowy ground, and lay above her, his lean arms supporting his weight. He leaned in and began to kiss her neck, inhaling her scent. Hot chocolate again. He sighed. He laid his body on top of hers for a few seconds and rolled her above him so that she wouldn't suffer under his weight. May sighed and blushed at the intimacy of it all. They continued to make out that way until the aurora borealis disappeared overhead.

"Goodness Drew, I can't believe I'm confessing this to you again but – I love you," May finally breathed, ashamedly glad that their moment of passion had stopped.

They sat up straight again and cuddled, both silently hoping that the sky wouldn't reveal even the slightest bit of sunlight ever. May's dilemma was done and gone.


End file.
